During the American Civil War, disease and infection caused by poor medical care and lack of proper hygiene were the main causes of death to both Confederate and Union soldiers. Why, then, were there no adequate facilities to care for these men? That is the question Cordelia Harvey sought to answer.

Join author Daniel L. Stika as he examines the work of Wisconsin’s Nightingale, Cordelia Harvey. As a tireless campaigner for improved medical care for Civil War soldiers, Harvey inspects battlefield hospitals and takes her reports of squalor and death all the way to the White House. Throughout the course of several meetings with President Abraham Lincoln, Harvey advocates for the construction of hospitals with the sole purpose of caring for the men who are fighting and dying for their country. Though Lincoln is reticent to hear her requests, Harvey’s fervor for her cause and her passionate arguments ultimately lead the president to make a decision that will save the lives of innumerable soldiers.

When Lincoln Met Wisconsin’s Nightingale presents the life of an extraordinary woman who battled adversity and tragedy in her quest to provide care to those who needed it most.